Changeable sign



L. C. LOY

CHANGEABLE S I GN Aug. 2, 1938.

a Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 22, 1936 L. C. LOY

CHANGEABLE S I GN Aug. 2, 1938.

Filed Dec. 22, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 a 4 6 2 a0 5 z. a 0. r 2

Aug. 2, 1938. L. c. LOY 2,125,576

CHANGEABLE S I GN Filed Dec. 22, 1936 s Sheets-sheaf 3 Patented Aug. 2,1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,125,576 CHANGEABLE SIGN O. Loy,Tyler, Tex.

Application December 22, 1936, Serial No. 117,196

'1 Claims. (61. 40-125) T This invention relates to signs and moreparticularly to.a changeable sign.

One object of the invention is to provide a sign having improved meansfor detachably mounting display matter and firmly supporting the displaymatter while permitting it to be easily detached when substitution ofdisplay matter is desired.

Another object of the invention is to so con struct the mounting meansfor the display matter that one member thereof may be secured to asupport and a companion member secured to a sign or other display matterand easily moved into engagement with the support-engaging member whereit will be firmly but detachably held.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the support-engagingmember and the sign-engaging member that when the sign-engaging memberis moved into engagement with the support-engaging member grippingmembers or jawsforming part of the sign-engaging member will be snappedinto gripping engagement with the sign-engaging member and preventlikelihood of accidental release of the sign-engaging member.

It is another object of the invention to so construct thesupport-engaging member and the sign-engaging member that when thesign-engaging member is applied to the support-engaging member its outerface will be flush with the outer face of the support-engaging member.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinFigure 1 is a view in elevation of a sign constructed in accordance withthis invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken vertically through the sign on the line22 of Figure 1,

Fig. 3 is a view inelevation of the improved sign mounting with oneleafof the sign-engaging member swung upwardly,

Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a rear view of the sign mounting means, Fig. 6 is a sectionalview upon an enlarged scale taken on the line 6+5 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken longitudinally through Fig. 4 upontheline '|'l,

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the two members of thesign-mounting means separated and the hinge leaf of the sign-engagingmember removed,

Fig. 10 is a view illustrating a modified form of sign,

Fig. 11 is a sectional view upon an enlarged scale taken verticallythrough Fig. 10 on the line ll-ll and showing a detaching implement inposition to spring the sign out of engagement with the support-engagingmember,

Fig. 12 is a view taken on the line l2--l2 of Fig. 11,

Fig. 13 is a View in elevation of the supportengaging means with thesign detached therefrom,

Fig. 14 is a view looking at the rear face of the sign,

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of another modified form of sign,

Fig. 16 is a view in elevation of the sign shown in Fig. 15 with thenumeral-carrying plates detached,

Fig. 17 is a view looking at the rear face'of one of thenumeral-carrying plates,

Fig. 18 is a perspective view of a modified form of. bracket which maybe used in place of the bracket shown in Fig. 15,

Fig. 19 is a perspective view of another modifled form of sign holder,

Fig. 20 is a perspective view of a detaching implement by use of whichthe sign-engaging members may be detached from the supportengagingmembers as shown in Fig. 3 and in Fig. 5, and

Fig. 21 is a view of a detaching implement by means of which anumeral-carrying plate may be detached from the support-engaging memberas shown in Fig. 17.

The sign I which has been shown mounted against a wall or other support2 in Figures 1 and 2 may be of any dimensions desired and formed of woodor any other desired material. It may be painted and have an appropriatein- .scription upon its outer or front face, as shown in Figure 1, orthe inscription may be provided upon the sign in any desired manner.

The sign is to be securely but detachably mounted in position againstthe support 2 where it may be seen and easily read. It is also desiredto permit this sign to be easily removed and another substituted in itsplace. In order to securely but detachably mount the sign, there hasbeen provided mounting means consisting of a support-engaging member orplate 3 and a signengaging member consisting of leaves or plates I and5, the leaves I and 5 being pivoted to each other, the leaf 4 beingsecured against the rear or inner face of the sign I by screws 6 and theleaf 5 being snapped into tight gripping engagement with the plate Iwhich is secured against the support by the screws I. A tongue is cutfrom the intermediate portion of the leafor plate 5 and rolled upwardlyto form a hinge ear or sleeve 8, as clearly shown in Figure 9, and theupper end portion of the leaf or plate 4 has a slot or opening 3 formedintermediate its width, after which the portion of the plate above thisslot may be rolled upon itself to form a hinge pin or bar l about whichthe hinge ear or sleeve 8 engages, as clearly shown in Figure 2, tohingedly connect the leaf 4 with the leaf 5.

The support-engaging plate 3 is formed of resilient metal and has itsintermediate portion cut out, as shown in Figure 9, to provide a socketII, the lower portion ll of which is of reduced width. The cross bar l2at the upper end of the plate 3 is undercut for a portion of its lengthto form a recess l3 having a diagonal or sloping wall, as shown inFigures 2 and 6, so that it is gradually reduced in depth toward theupper end of the support-engaging plate. The side portions of the socketwhich project beyond opposite sides of the reduced lower portion ll ofthe socket have their upper portion 14 extending through the plate 3 forthe full thickness thereof but their lower portions are cut to form lugsl5 having sloping upper faces l6 which converge rearwardly. Externallyof the sloping outer faces of the lugs l5, the side walls of the reducedlower portion i I of the socket are grooved, as shown at H, and uponreferring to Figures 8 and 9, it willbe seen that these grooves areV-shaped in cross section and form seats in the lower end portions ofinner side edge faces of arms or jaws l8 formed by cutting slits in theplate 3. A. notch I9 is formed intermediate thewidth of the lower end ofthe socket in order that the leaf 5 may be easily removed when sodesired.

The leaf 5 of the sign-engaging member is shaped to fit the socket I land the reduced lower portion ll thereof, and upon referring to Figure 9it will be seen that at its upper end this leaf or plate is formed witha bill having a sioping upper face in order that the bill 23 may beeasily slid into the recess orseat l3 when applying the leaf 5 to thesupport-engaging member or plate 3. The side extensions or arms 2| ofthe leaf 5 fit into the side portions 14 of the socket II and lowerportions of the side arms 2| are formed with recesses 22 which are socut that the lower portions of the side arms will be formed with slopingfaces conforming to and having flat contacting engagement with thesloping faces of the lugs l5 when the leaf is seated in the socket.Below the side arms 2| the side edge portions of the leaf are cut toprovide ribs 23 along the side edges of the leaf and these ribs are socut that they will fit snugly into the grooves I! of the jaws I8. By soforming the leaf 5 the bill 20 may be engaged in the seat or recess l3and pressure then applied to the lower portion of the leaf or plate 5 toslide the leaf into the socket. As the lower portion of the leaf movesinto the lower portion ll of the socket, the rib 23 will enter thegroovell of the jaws and they will be very firmly gripped by the jaws whichare resilient. Therefore, the ieaf will be firmly held to thesupport-engaging member and will not be liable to accidentally slip outof place. At its lower end the leaf is formed with a notch or recess 24which registers with the notch I E- of the support-engaging member whenthe leaf is snapped into the socket of the support-engaging member.

While a screw driver blade, nail or some other prying implement may heengaged through the registering notches l9 and 24 in order to pry theleaf 5 out of the socket of the support-engaging member, there has beenillustrated in Figure 20 a removing implement 25 which is formed ofstrong metal and consists of a shank 23 having one end portion reducedin width from both side edges to provide a tapered blade 21, the freeend of which is of the proper width to be engaged in the registeringnotches and extend under the lower end of the leaf or plate 5. When thebill of this removing implement is engaged under the lower end of theleaf 5, the implement may then be rocked across the lower bar 28 of thesupport-engaging member and force will be exerted to spring the leaf outof the socket into which it fits. The other end of the removingimplementis bent to form a lip or handle 29 by means of which it may be grasped,and by referring to Figure 20 it will be seen that before this endportion of the implement is bent to form the lip 29 an opening 33 havinga slit 3| leading therefrom is formed in this end portion of theimplement. This opening 30 is extended at its ends to provide a tonguebetween its extended end portions which forms a bill 32 when this endportion of the implement is bent to form the handle 29. It should alsobe noted that in slight- 1y spaced relation to the inner end of the bill32 the implement is bent, as shown at 33, to provide a foot 34 havingthe bill extending therefrom in the same plane as the foot. The shank 26extends diagonally from the foot and, therefore, when the implement isgrasped by the shank and the bill 32 employed to remove asign in amanner to be hereinafter set forth, the implement may be rocked uponthev foot by applying pressure to the free end portion of the shank.

In 10 through 14, there has been illustrated a modified constructionwherein the sign 35 has a backing plate 36 secured thereto. The backingplate has its intermediate portion formed with an opening 31 defining apocket when the backing plate is riveted or otherwise firmly securedagainst the sign. Wlnle it has been stated that the pocket is providedby forming an opening in a backing plate which is secured against therear face of the sign, it willbe obvious that the sign and its backingplate may be formed as an integral structure with the pocket providedtherein. A support-engaging member 38 which is of the same constructionas the support-engaging member 3 is secured against a wall or othersupport 39 by screws or equivalent fasteners 50, and attention is calledto the fact that, while the pocket 31 corresponds in outline to thesupport-engaging member, it is of greater width than thesupport-engaging member and. therefore, when the sign-engaging memberwhich is mounted in the pocket 31 is. engaged with the support-engagingmember, the upper edge of the support-engaging member will be spacedfrom the upper edge of the pocket. The sign-engaging member 4| is of thesame construction as the leaf or plate 5 of the sign-engaging memberpreviously described and has its upper and lower ends in such spacedrelation to upper or lower margins or edges of the pocket 31 that whenthe sign 35 is mounted the bill 42 of the sign-engaging member may beengaged in the opening 43 of the support-engaging member with the narrowupper portion 44 of the backing plate 36 disposed close to the upperedge of the support-engaging member and the sign then shifted upwardlywhile applying pressure toward the wall or other support to move the 1bill 42 into the socket 45 of the support-engaging ing member will befirmly gripped between the jaws of the support-engaging member. The signwill then have proper engagement with the face of the wall or othersupport and the narrow lower portion 48 of the backing plate will havecontacting engagement with the lower edge face of the support-engagingmember, as clearly shown in Figure 11. The sign will thus be properlyheld upon the wall or in place upon a shelf or other support and willnot be liable to accidentally slip loose. When it is desired to removethe sign, it is merely necessary to grasp the removing implement for thesign by its shank 26 and apply the removing implement against the faceof the support, as shown in Figure 11, with the bill or tongue 32extending between the support and the lower edge of the sign. Pressuremay then be applied to the tongue to impart rocking movement to theimplement and as the bill or tongue 32 moves away from the support thesign will be pried loose.

In the embodiments of the invention illustrated in Figures 15 through 18inclusive, the sign is intended to be applied to a shelf, table or othersupport and includes a support-engaging bracket which may be formed ofwood or the like, as shown in Figures 15 and 16, or of metal, as shownin Figure 18. The bracket illustrated in Figure 15 has a base 49 fromwhich rises a wall 50 which extends upwardly at a rearward incline andhas its front face formed with a recess in order that a plate 5i,corresponding to the support-engaging plate 3, may be secured in therecess in counter-sunk relation to the front face of the wall by a screw52. In the present illustration, two sign members 53 having numbers upontheir outer faces are to be applied to the support-engaging plate IIand, therefore,

the plate 5| has been shown with a pair of sockets 54 each of which isto receive the sign-engaging member 55 carried by a sign member or plate53. It will be obvious that by increasing the length of the bracket andits wall II a plate SI having a greater number of sockets Il may besecured in the recess formed in the front face of the wall or if sodesired the bracket may be formed of the proper size to accommodate asingle plate corresponding to the support-engaging plate 3. The mannerof applying the sign members or the plates "is the same as previouslydescribed and merely consists of engaging the bill 56 of thesign-engaging member I in the recess or seat 51 leading from the socketI4 and then applying pressure to the lower end portion 58 of thesign-engaging member between the jaws of the support-engaging member.

When it is desired to remove a sign member 53, the implement illustratedin Figure 21 is employed. This implement has a shank ll at one end ofwhich is, formed a flat head II from which extend bills or tongues IIwhich are spaced from each other transversely of the head I. These billsii are pressed between the lower end of the sign member and plate II andthe lower edge of the recess formed in the wall II. in such positionthat they may engage under a plate 53' at opposite sides of the lowerportion ll of the sign-engaging member II. It is then merely necessaryto applypressure to the handle of the removing implement and thetongueswill cause the plate 53 to be pried out.

The bracket fllustrated in Figure 18 is intended for use upon a glassshelf and is formed of resilient metal. This bracket is formed from asingle blank of metal having its intermediate portion cut so that theblank may be bent to I wardly and then back upon itself to provide aleaf or plate which projects upwardly at a rearward incline andcorresponds to the wall 50. An opening 61 is formed in the leaf 68 sothat a bolt may be passed through the leaf to secure thesupport-engaging member or plate 5| against the front face of the leaf.

In Figure 19, there has been illustrated a device constructed inaccordance with this invention and by means of which a sign may besuspended from an overhead support. This device has a support-engagingmember or plate 68 corresponding in construction to the support-engagingmember 3 and adapted to be secured against the overhead support byscrews or equivalent fasteners 69. A companion member 10 whichcorresponds in construction to the plate 5 is employed in connectionwith the supportengaging member 68 and is snappedv into engagement withthe plate 58 where it will be securely held by the jaws H. The car 12 ofthe plate 10 instead of being engaged with a pivot pin of a companionplate carries a ring 13 which is of rectangular shape and provided withan eye H- through which is engaged an'end 1km of the chain 15. Thischain may be of any length desired and have a sign suspended from itslower end. In view of the fact that the ring I! from which the chain issuspended is connected with the plate 10 at the end thereof formed witha tongue corresponding to the tongue 20 of the plate 5 the weight of thesign may not cause the plate III to be drawn out of engagement with theplate 68. While it has been stated that this-device shown in Figure 19is for suspending a hanging sign, it will be obvious that it may be usedfor mounting overhead straps in a street car.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a sign construction, a sign element, and mounting means includinga support-engaging member formed with a socket and having resilient jawsat opposite sides of the socket, and an anchoring member carried by thesign element and adapted to be forced into the socket of thesupport-engaging member and firmly gripped by said jaws, the anchoringmember being provided at one end with means for engaging between thesupport-engaging member and a support and aiding said laws inmaintaining the anchoring member in the socket.

2. In a sign construction, a sign element, and mounting means for saidsign element comprising a support-engaging member having itsintermediate portion cut out to form a socket having a wide upperportion and a reduced lower portion, the support-engaging member beingalso cut to provide jaws at opposite sides of said socket, said Jawsbeing formed with rearwardly extending cam faces and below the cam faceshaving their inner side edges grooved, and an anchoring member carriedby the sign element and having a wide upper portion and a reduced lowerportion whereby the anchoring member may be fitted into the socket ofthe support-engaging member, the lower portion of the anchoring;

member having its side edge faces beveled to provide ribs adapted to beengaged in the grooves of said jaws and the wider portion of the anmounting means for said sign element comprising a. support-engagingmember formed with a socket and having jaws at opposite sides of thesocket provided with grooved inner edge faces and above the groove beingprovided with cam faces converging rearwardly of the support-engagingmember, and an anchoring member'carried by said sigfi element andconforming to the outline of said socket whereby it may be fitted snuglywithin the socket, said anchoring member having ribs along its sideedges to fit into the grooves of said jaws and having beveled surfacesto bear against the inclined cam surfaces of the support-engaging memberwhen the anchoring member is forced into said socket.

4. In a sign construction, a sign board, mounting means for the signboard comprising a support-engaging member having its intermediateportion cut out to form a socket and at opposite sides of the socketbeing cut to provide resilient jaws, and an anchoring member consistingof a. plate conforming to the outline of said socket whereby it may befitted snugly into the socket, said plate having a bill at one endadapted to engage under the support engaging member and having its otherend portion adapted for interlocking engagement with said jaws, a hingeleaf at the first-mentioned end of said plate, and a second platepivotally engaged with the hinge leaf of the first plate adapted to besecured against the rear face of the sign board to hingedly mount thesign board.

5. In a sign, a sign board, a back plate for said sign board having itsintermediate portion cut out to provide a pocket at the back of the signboard, a support-engaging member adapted to be secured against a supportand having its intermediate portion out out to provide a socket, thesupport-engaging member being of a length corresponding to that of thesocket and of a depth appreciably less than the distance between upperand lower marginal edges of the socket to permit vertical shifting ofthe support-engaging member in the socket, said support-engaging memberbeing provided with resilient jaws at opposite sides of its socket, anda companion member secured against the rear face of the sign boardwithin the pocket thereof in spaced relation to ends and upper and lowermargins thereof and adapted to be fitted snugly into the socket of thesupport-engaging member and firmly gripped by said jaws to mount thesign against a support with the support-engaging 7. A sign, a brackethaving a. support-ehgaging base and an upstanding wall, the front faceof said wall being recessed to form a pocket, a mounting member securedin said pocket and formed with a socket having resilient jaws atopposite sides thereof, and a sign having a mount- 7 ing member at itsback conforming to the outline of the socket whereby it may be snappedinto the socket and firmly gripped to detachably mount the sign in therecess of the upstanding wall.

LEE 0. LOY.

